Anyone losing weight wihout working out?

brownmousemama
brownmousemama Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Now before you jump on me and tell me how important exercise is, let me tell you that I KNOW. So far in this journey I have been working out at least 3 times a week, sometimes 5 or 6. I started our doing Couch to 5k, and switched to steep incline walking after my doctor banned me from running. I have a knee injury from high school that has always caused me milkd trouble, but since I started working out, it has been giving me HELL. I just went in for Xrays the day before yesterday, and he told me that at least for the next few weeks he wants me to use it as little as possible, which means absolutely no working out. He did say that I can do yoga, but I need to skip all lunges and poses that involve having a lot of weight on my knees while bent.

I am a teacher and a university student, so it's not like I can be totally off my knee, I have to work and go to school, but he said that since I'll still be doing a lot of standing and walking around during the day to skip any movement that isn't absolutely necessary. I was supposed to have surgery on it as a teen, but opted to go with physical therapy instead (I was vain and didn't want to be on crutches for a long time at school.) I may have to have that surgery now depending on what he says at my next appointment(which is when I get back from visiting family April 1st)

So back to my question. Is anyone counting calories not working out, and STILL losing weight? I plateaued at 199(from 216) a couple weeks ago, and gained two lbs back, which I have now lost again, but I am worried that I am just going to stay here forever if I can't work out. I am planning on redoing my TDEE/BMR calculations with my change in activity level, but I think it'll be about the same as it is now since I think I was eating below TDEE-20% anyways. I am eating 1600 a day (sometimes 1800 if I am super hungry. I think I remember my BMR being around 1750.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • MissSnickerdoodle
    MissSnickerdoodle Posts: 10 Member
    It's possible. When I was losing weight earlier during the winter I did it with minimal working out. I used those tension bands instead and basic walking when I could. I am in a cardboard box sized dorm room up north so I spent a majority of my time doing simple workouts that often didn't require excessive weight on my feet or knees. I managed to lose 20 pounds that way, but I gained a chunk of it back from some things that were going on at the time. It's possible to lose the weight. Good luck.
  • MissSnickerdoodle
    MissSnickerdoodle Posts: 10 Member
    Also my brother had an injury and stayed in his bed for nearly a month and managed to lose 15 pounds.
  • Mayra_121
    Mayra_121 Posts: 128 Member
    Hi,

    Well regarding your question, I have lost 11 lbs in 2 months without exercise by counting calories, but what I have found to be essential is not just counting calories but watching exactly what it is that you are eating. I used to have very bad eating habits, I would eat fast foods almost twice a day and it doesn't help that I work at big fast food chain. These last two months I have stopped drinking colas and juice (only water and occasionally coffee), I have learned some new recipes and have been cooking a lot at home. The trick is to find variety in what you eat so that way it doesn't become boring. I have added a lot more fiber to my intake, either in powder or whole wheat pasta and brown rice ect. Well the point to all of this is that yes I do believe it is possible even though it isn't as fast. Good luck with all your goals and if you have anymore questions do not hesitate to ask. =)
  • iheartpolkadots
    iheartpolkadots Posts: 20
    How about work your upper body? You could do some puching while seated, do some arm workouts with weights while seated, etc. This way you can still get some activity while not hurting your knee.
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
    yep me. but i did low carb
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    I've lost 20 lbs in just less than two months and I do almost no excercise whatsoever at the moment. One of the reasons I started this journey was I was so fat I was getting breathless if I walked up two flights of stairs. This is improving and I can walk further without feeling worn out now, but as I don't want to kill myself I have no intention of overdoing it, so am waiting for the weight to come down to levels where I can do excercise. Not that I am ever likely to work out, I am not a fan of gyms having lived all my life (two thirds of it at a healthy weight) by playing sport, swimming, etc. At my age I don't plan to go back to things like squash and soccer, but will play golf and will swim again.

    So yes, without doubt you can and will lose weight through calorie control.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    I don't work out at all. My philosophy (other than just laziness, I suppose) is that if I throw everything in the arsenal at it from day one, I won't have anything left to break plateaus with. So I'm doing everything wrong - eating processed foods, drinking only 30 oz of water a day...but so far calorie cycling (including intermittent fasting) is working great. I do intend to start working out at some point, though. Once the body under the fat suit starts to show itself, I want it to look good.
  • exostan
    exostan Posts: 38
    I had the most success with losing weight by not exercising and just focusing on calories. When I exercised like crazy and also controlled the calories, I ended up gaining weight (that was for 1 month)
  • joyjay4fun
    joyjay4fun Posts: 160
    I have been unable to work out for the past week due to some muscular/chest pain. I hate it because I enjoy working out, anyways. I have still managed to lose some weight about 1-2 pounds with just continuing my regular diet. My goal is 1200 calories a day. I also use Alli as a supplement. i would definitely check with your doctor 1st before cutting calories or taking anything as each persons body is different. There are some weight training things you can do at home such as seated barbell curls, arm presses, etc. I have horrible knees, i was a runner all my life and when I started to notice pain I ignored and pressed through it, now I cant run more than a lap or two without pain so listen to the others when they tell you dont press it. I have found that cycling, walking on the treadmill with an incline and the eliptical are good for me and dont put that stress on my knees that running does. Also I can control how fast or hard I use those so when I feel pain I know to stop. Good luck.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    Of course its possible. I was unable to exercise due to injury before and cutting my cals worked.
  • zuchy
    zuchy Posts: 40 Member
    It is possible. I haven't been for a run in 3 months and I'm losing really easily doing 5:2, so I only count calories (500) twice a week. The other days I don't and it till works :)
  • Jane_1705
    Jane_1705 Posts: 152 Member
    I lost 14 lb through eating clean alone. I used. In place of a road map rather than MFP calculations.
    I have started 30 day shred now though just because although I had lost the weight I did not feel any different.
    I feel for you I know what it is like to have knee pain. There is excercise that is lower impact for your knees you just need to try different things. I would say swimming is a safe bet. You can also tone up your arms through targeted weight exercises.
    Hope your knees recover quickly.
  • 1two3four
    1two3four Posts: 413 Member
    I lost 88+ pounds with little to no exercise. From Oct 2011 to March 2013 I consistently lost weight with the exception of 4 1/2 months in 2012 that I was stuck in a rut physically and emotionally (severe depression) and probably eating way too little (unknowingly, not intentionally).

    My advice is to be extremely vigilant in calculating your calories in and out. If I had been, I believe I wouldn't have lost 4 1/2 months.

    Good luck to you!
  • minsooky
    minsooky Posts: 59
    Little tip...if possible don't eat under your BMR. Your BMR is the amount of calories you need just for your body to function (ie if you're comatose). It will make your metabolism unhappy if you do.

    All you need is a calorie deficit to lose weight. Of course it would be healthier to also work out, but if you can't, oh well.
  • splitdog79
    splitdog79 Posts: 106 Member
    Too early to do the math again but according to my app's statistics less than 20 lbs of my loss is from exercise. Diet makes up the vast majority of loss.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Little tip...if possible don't eat under your BMR. Your BMR is the amount of calories you need just for your body to function (ie if you're comatose). It will make your metabolism unhappy if you do.

    All you need is a calorie deficit to lose weight. Of course it would be healthier to also work out, but if you can't, oh well.

    This. All you need is a deficit from your TDEE and you'll lose. *WEIGHT LOSS* is allllllllllll about calories in vs. calories out. How much you eat vs. how much you burn. Period. Whether the burn is from exercise or from just your regular old activities of daily living. TDEE encompasses all your daily living calories, so a deficit from that, and NOT a deficit from "laying in bed doing absolutely nothing but breathing all day" (aka BMR) is what's in order here.

    And yes, i lost the 15 lbs in my ticker while doing very little exercise. I walk around my neighborhood once a day but it takes 15 minutes and I don't even breathe heavily while walking. It's VERY minimal exercise but all my feet can handle right now (I have plantar fasciitis and bone spurs in both feet).

    I also second the person who suggested doing upper body work!
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
    Exercise isnt important to me. I still lose weekly.
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    It's about 80% diet and 20% exercise. Of course exercise helps with getting fitter and vascular benefits .
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    I lost my first 30 pounds without working out, besides walking to and from work every day. In January it got too cold for me to walk so I joined the gym and started incorporating strength training. Since then, my weight loss is a little bit slower BUT it's also when I really started noticing changes in my body and when everyone in my life started commenting on my weight loss. You can definitely lose weight without exercise but I've been very fat for a long, long time so I need to work out so that my body doesn't look like a deflated air mattress hung over a coat rack.

    Also, working out improves my moods better than any pill I had ever been prescribed.
  • JessicaRobin67
    JessicaRobin67 Posts: 275 Member
    I just had surgery on Feb. 20th... I was afraid I was going to gain. I ate between 1600-1800 calories a day with no exercise and kept losing alittle over 1 pound a week. I stayed within my caloric limit.

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